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Food 4 Less goes live with Instacart delivery

Kroger Co. unit begins same-day service in three states

Russell Redman

July 15, 2019

3 Min Read
Supermarket News logo in a gray background | Supermarket News

The Kroger Co.’s Food 4 Less discount grocery division has launched online grocery delivery through Instacart.

Los Angeles-based Food 4 Less said the same-day home delivery service, which kicked off on Friday, is available at all 129 of its price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the Food 4 Less banner in Southern California, Illinois and Indiana and the Foods Co banner in Central and Northern California.

"We strive to provide our customers with the best shopping experience and believe that offering home delivery adds a new convenience when shopping at Food 4 Less," Bryan Kaltenbach, president of Food4Less and Foods Co, said in a statement. "Our customers are busier than ever. Providing home delivery is another way Food 4 Less is giving our customers the shopping experience that they desire."

To make a home delivery order, customers go online to Food4Less.com or FoodsCo.com and click on the "Delivery" tab at the top of the home page. After choosing their local store, they can shop from a selection of 40,000 products, including fresh foods and other perishables, which are categorized and sorted for easy viewing and selection. Upon filling their virtual cart, shoppers select a preferred delivery time between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Instacart personal shoppers then hand-pick, bag and deliver the groceries within the designated one-hour time window.

Related:Kroger plans major expansion with Instacart

In addition, customers also can place delivery orders at Instacart.com/Food4Less and Instacart.com/FoodsCo or via the Instacart app.

"Instacart is proud to partner with Food 4 Less to offer same-day delivery to customers across California, Illinois and Indiana," commented Sarah Mastrorocco, vice president of business development for Instacart. "Together, Instacart and Food 4 Less are working to make grocery shopping effortless for today's busy consumers and families by delivering the Food 4 Less groceries they want and need straight to their door in as fast as an hour."

The launch of Instacart service at Food 4 Less/Foods Co continues The Kroger Co.’s expansion with the San Francisco-based delivery specialist. Late last August, Kroger and Instacart unveiled plans to extend their household reach by 50%, bringing same-day delivery to 1,600 stores overall through the fall.

Kroger also has developed its own grocery delivery services in the face of rising e-commerce competition from Amazon/Whole Foods, Walmart and Target/Shipt, among others.

Last month, Kroger said it has been testing 30-minute grocery delivery in the Cincinnati area. Called Kroger Rush, the service is being piloting with select customers, who can order quickly needed items like lunch or dinner online and have them delivered within 30 minutes. And last August, Kroger launched its own delivery service called Ship, a direct-to-customer platform that enables consumers to order from a selection of groceries at ship.kroger.com and have them delivered to their door. The retailer also is testing grocery delivery via Nuro driverless vehicles in Houston, which followed the completion of a pilot in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Related:Kroger turns in mixed results, but online delivery growing

In a conference call on fiscal 2019 first-quarter results, Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said the company is “assembling a platform to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere.” Thus far, the company has expanded online grocery delivery to 2,126 stores and pickup to 1,685 stores as of the close of the first quarter, covering over 93% of the households in its market area. Kroger has said it expects to reach 100% of the country by the end of 2019 with the full integration of Kroger Ship.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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